Chapter 14: The Silver Chain

The guest bedroom was dark.

Only when the doorknob turned did a cold, dim streak of hallway light cut inside, drawing Gu Yanli’s tall, straight shadow across the floor.

Xu Zhou’s eyes snapped open. He raised one shoulder out from under the quilt.

The storm was still raging outside, hammering the windows with rain. Its monotonous roar made even a quiet breath in the room seem loud.

Gu Yanli stepped into the room and closed the heavy wooden door behind him.

He was still wearing the Discipline Office’s dark uniform, his forehead damp from the rain. His bangs clung in messy strands over his brows, and his pitch-black eyes were unreadable in the darkness.

“Senior Gu.”

Xu Zhou leaned back against the headboard, tugging at the edge of the quilt. His voice was laced with lazy irritation at having his sleep interrupted.

“Checking rooms on Mateo’s turf in the middle of the night? Since when does the Discipline Office have such a broad scope?”

Gu Yanli didn’t reply.

He walked softly, leather shoes silent on the rug. But the wet, fir-and-rain scent of the night instantly flooded the small space around the bed.

He stopped at the side of the bed and looked down at Xu Zhou from above, deep, dark currents churning in his eyes.

“At Theodore’s dinner tonight,” Gu Yanli finally spoke, keeping his Chinese pitched very low, hoarse as though scraped over rough paper, “you were wearing Mateo’s jacket?”

“Senior, my coat got wet. I asked to borrow one. Does your Discipline Office care about that too?”

Xu Zhou wearily tilted his head against the pillow, his fingertips resting on the quilt edge, replying in a flat, cold voice.

Gu Yanli’s mouth pulled into a faint, grim line.

He didn’t step back. Instead, he moved half a pace closer and went down on one knee on the edge of the guest bed.

The mattress sank with a low, mellow thud.

Suddenly, the space between them was small enough that their breaths hit each other’s necks, suffocatingly heavy.

“Xu Zhou.”

Gu Yanli bent forward a little and grabbed Xu Zhou’s ankle through the quilt, his grip rough and hard. His voice turned cold.

“Stay away from them.”

“You’re overreaching, Senior Gu.”

Xu Zhou fought to free his ankle, but the hand on it was like a red-hot iron. Fingers ground into the bone until his ankle chilled.

Gu Yanli’s eyes fell on the faint reddened corners of Xu Zhou’s eyes, flushed with anger.

Still gripping him, Gu Yanli reached inside his uniform and took out a dark silver metal case.

Click.

The snap of its latch cut through the crashing rain like a needle.

Inside was a densely woven fine silver chain, its links pressed with subtle dark patterns. A small pendant carried two tiny gothic letters: D.Gu.

It was a private security marker custom-made by the Gu family, with a trust anti-counterfeit emblem.

Gu Yanli pressed his knee in, forced Xu Zhou’s trouser leg up with his right hand, and locked the cold silver chain around Xu Zhou’s pale, slim ankle.

The moment the clasp shut, a crisp metallic ring sounded.

Xu Zhou cursed fluently in Chinese. As he struggled, the thin silver chain carved a glaring red line into his pale ankle.

“Are you tying up a dog with this? Gu Yanli, what’s wrong with you?”

The metal had rubbed Xu Zhou’s right ankle, raising a bright red ring. He kicked backward, his bare foot hitting the front of Gu Yanli’s uniform.

Gu Yanli let out a low grunt but seized the moment to sweep his finger over the red scrape on Xu Zhou’s ankle, then warned in a low voice:

“Your etiquette as the lead dance partner isn’t qualified yet, Xu Zhou. Wear this until you learn not to step on my shoes.”

For that one second, Gu Yanli’s fingers were still fastened around Xu Zhou’s ankle, and Xu Zhou’s foot was still pushing against Gu Yanli’s chest.

Then, the guest bedroom door burst open.

Bang. The heavy door panel slammed into the wall, shaking dust from the frame.

Bright light from the living room rushed in alongside Mateo’s boiling rage.

Mateo wore nothing but gray sweatpants, his upper body bare. Sweat still gleamed across his broad shoulders, reflecting the light and giving him a fierce, wild presence.

He was holding a glass of water. He had clearly gone downstairs for a drink and heard the unnatural sounds of struggle and metal clinking from the guest bedroom.

In the next second, Mateo punched the main light on, flooding the guest bedroom with harsh white light.

Mateo stared at the bed. The instant he took in Gu Yanli on one knee, pinning Xu Zhou to the edge of the bed, both hands locked tight around Xu Zhou’s pale ankle, his dark brown eyes burned crimson.

“Gu Yanli!”

A roar tore from Mateo’s throat like an animal. With all his strength, he slammed the glass against the door frame. Glass shards and warm water scattered across the floor.

The veins on his forehead bulged. He clenched his fists, tramped over the broken glass, and stormed toward the bed.

“Let go of him, you bastard!”

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